Feedback request: Insert DXF into an existing design

[jakefowler]

The Fusion 360 development team are currently working on some new functionality to insert DXF files directly into a Fusion design. We wanted to get some feedback on which of these two behaviours would be more useful/intuitive for inserting DXF geometry:

1. Similar to DWG/DXF Import: we create new seperate sketches from each layer from the DXF file

2. Similar to SVG Insert: geometry from all layers in the DXF file is inserted into a single existing/new sketch, and we offer the choice over which layers are imported & not imported

Any thoughts (or further suggestions) on this would be greatly appreciated!

Jake

[HughesTooling]

Hi Jake

I think both would be useful. If you're in a sketch have it work like SVG and insert the imported file into the active sketch. And if you right click a component, have "Import DXF" on the right click menu and create sketches for each layer. Some people have had problems with some DXF files with no layers so just create a sketch with the same name as the file.

Mark

[jakefowler]

Thanks Mark! Very helpful feedback. And I like the idea of using the filename where separate layers don't exist; will see if that's possible.

Jake

[Oceanconcepts]

Jake,

This is very timely for me, as I spent much of yesterday struggling with DXF import. 

My typical case is needing to import a DXF that is generated from an electronics/ PCB layout application, such as Altium or PADS. I need this to check component positioning against mechanical design, to make sure we are still in synch and prevent errors when we go to PCB manufacture. These DXF files typically will contain many layers- hundreds- and what I found was that bringing them into Fusion as they were output from AutoCAD 360 stops Fusion in its tracks. I had to open the DXF in AutoCAD 360, as attempting to import directly into Fusion failed. What came in was seen as hundreds (?) of components (not sketches- though the components contain sketches), each containing many nested sub-components, with those containing nested sub-components. This slowed Fusion to the point it became completely unusable, and eventually crashed. I can share an example of this output with the team if it helps. 

Rendering the DXF as a single layer sketch might make it useable for me. I like Mark’s suggestion to have it work as an SVG, essentially option 2- mostly what I need is a dimensionally accurate sketch, I’m not going to create geometry. But for those who are, being able to specify a layer to go to a separate sketch would seem to address the need. 

[Anonymous]

Option #2 for me. Anytime I need to pull in a DXF, i am using it to engrave a logo. Typically i'm only interested in one level.

[jakefowler]

Many thanks Paul and Ron for the great feedback.

It sounds like both of these options would be useful for particular scenarios, so we'll look into providing a tool that supports both of these (we'll probably add one option first then the second one subsequently, to provide at least one method for inserting DXFs as soon as possible).

Ron - are you able to share any of the DXFs that caused problems for Fusion? (Originals and/or those that went via AutoCAD)? If you can post here / PM me / email me at jake.fowler(at)autodesk.com, that would be really great for us to look into. If you can only share the finished F3D, we could look into that too, but the DXFs would be more valuable for analysing the underlying problem(s).

Any further feedback on this topic still very welcome, of course.

Thanks!
Jake

[Oceanconcepts]

Jake,

I can't post them to a public forum, but I will email some examples to you for internal use. 

[LibertyMachine]

I would go with Option #2. Importing a .dxf from some of my customers does not yield very solid results. Yes, the geometry is there, but without the original open in another screen (A360), I've no idea if a line segment is just a stray dimension line or part of the actual sketch. And whatever dimensions a customer added are long gone, as are any notes. On top of that, you have a sketch tree that has several dozen entities, makes it fun to clean stuff up

[HughesTooling]

In another solid modeling program I've used if you need to import a DXF file with dimensions and title block etc. you open it as a drawing not a sketch. Then from the drawing workspace you copy the profiles you need using the clipboard and paste into a sketch. This works quite well as the drawing workspace can deal with dimensions, layers and title block better than you can in a sketch.

Mark.

[Anonymous]

How the heck do you get a DXF in Fusion now?  I uploaded a DXF file and it shows up in my project data panel.  If I double click on it it opens in a web browser.  If I right click there are no options to insert or anything like that.

[Oceanconcepts]

I do see the option to “insert into current design” when I right click on a DXF that I uploaded to Fusion. That said, I did have trouble getting a DXF that would import into Fusion successfully. I had to first import the DXF I received into the AutoCAD 360 beta, then save that file as a DXF (not forgetting to specify units), import that into Fusion, then I was able to insert into a design. 

What does show when you right click- anything

[Anonymous]

I had uploaded the DXF through the A360 website.  I just deleted it and upladed it through the data panel and it now allows for inserting.  I think I am all set.  Glad an easier way is in the works.  Thanks for your help.